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Feinstein welcomed the administration’s openness to limiting the number of so-called “hops” analysts can make through the data.

“We are talking about that right now,” the chairwoman said. “I happen to support it.”

After the hearing, Feinstein said they were still working out details of the limits on “hops.” She said she hopes to hold a mark-up on Tuesday for the panel’s bill.

Feinstein said her legislation would not reduce the five years of call data currently retained by the government, but would limit most searches to three years. “Emergency” approval from the attorney general would be needed to delve into the oldest two years, she said.

At least one of the changes Feinstein listed as likely to be in the intelligence panel’s bill would actually broaden the surveillance effort.

The committee chairwoman said she wants the NSA to be allowed to obtain the content of emails and telephone calls of foreign nationals for a time after they enter the United States. Right now, the agency has to cut off warrantless surveillance as soon as analysts figure out that a target has come into the United States. The surveillance can only resume when the target leaves the country, or if officials get a specific warrant to continue the surveillance on American soil.

“This collection is stopped just as the individual may be of the greatest concern,” because of the possibility of an attack in the United States, Feinstein said. She said the panel planned to address this “gap in the collection” by allowing the NSA to keep listening in on foreigners’ phone calls and Internet content for seven days after the individuals enter the U.S.

Feinstein said that would give the NSA time to get a warrant for domestic surveillance — and if it fails to do so, the seven days of data would have to be erased.

For his part, Clapper spent much of his testimony trying to assuage public concerns about NSA surveillance.

“What we do not do is spy unlawfully on Americans or, for that matter, spy indiscriminately on citizens of any foreign country,” Clapper said.

Since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden began leaking details of surveillance programs in June, U.S. officials have struggled to come up with examples of how the call-tracking database averted specific plots on American soil.

Clapper also made a new argument Thursday for the call-tracking database: That it allows the government to make sure terrorist events are not happening.

“We did have indication of a potential nexus in the United States,” Clapper disclosed. “A group of selectors were checked out and found to be negative.”

Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said he supported many of the safeguards being proposed, but that efforts to inform and assure citizens about the legitimacy of the programs may ultimately turn out to be fruitless.

”I don’t think the American people are ever going to understand the FISA court, how that works,” he said.

Rockefeller also warned against tearing up the current system and starting from scratch.

“You don’t build a Roman forum and then build another one next door because you found a mistake,” the senator said. “Let’s not, for fear of the public saying, ‘That wasn’t well understood’… Let that not deter us from our job, which is to keep the foundation safe, make it safer where it can be done and then go about our business.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) expressed skepticism about one proposed reform: having telephone companies retain the calling data rather than assembling it into a government-run database. He said that could expand the potential for privacy invasion since the data would be scattered in various places.

Warner also said he has doubts about whether senators vouching for the programs’ integrity will turn around public opinion.

“A bunch of senators saying, ‘it’s okay,’ may not regain that trust,” he said.